Podcast: Dr Hagopian discusses Palestinian bid for statehood

Dr Harry Hagopian

On 23 September 2011, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, submitted an application to the United Nations in New York for the recognition of Palestine as a full member state. A strong speech from US President Barack Obama has indicated that the US would in all likelihood use its veto in any Security Council vote in order to thwart such recognition.

So where does this leave the process? The 'Quartet' of the UN, the EU, the US and the Russian Federation wants to see a negotiated peace between Israel and Palestine by the end of 2012. If key international diplomats take so long to agree a basic way forward, what hope then for the Middle East and its peoples?

In this Middle East Analysis, Dr Harry Hagopian examines all the issues pertaining to recognition and offers a full round-up of the MENA region (Syria, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain).

Dr Hagopian is an international lawyer and consultant to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales on the Middle East. He's also a former Assistant General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches

To listen to the podcast click here: www.catholicchurch.org.uk/palestinian-statehood-2

Dr Harry Hagopian's website: www.epektasis.net/